Tim Tebow Named WRUF’s Greatest Gator of All Time
Seven episodes. Thirty-five Gators. One answer.
After a full summer of debate on WRUF 98.1, Tim Tebow has been named the greatest Gator of all time. The first sophomore Heisman winner in college football history. Two national championships. A 48–7 career record. A legacy that extends far beyond football.
And in the parallel Greatest Gators Moments Bracket, the 1996 Football National Championship — Steve Spurrier, Danny Wuerffel, 52-20 over Florida State — was voted the greatest moment in Florida athletics history, defeating the 2007 Men’s Basketball Title (Repeat) 66% to 34%, live on air.
Here’s how the summer ended — and how we got here.
Football • QB • 2006–09 • WRUF 98.1
The final five — revealed live on July 2 — were Emmitt Smith at No. 5, Dara Torres at No. 4, Caeleb Dressel at No. 3, Steve Spurrier at No. 2, and Tim Tebow at No. 1. The list covered every major sport Florida has ever produced: football, basketball, swimming, softball, golf, soccer, baseball, and track and field. By the time the countdown reached its sixth episode, names like Urban Meyer, Joakim Noah, Abby Wambach, and Ryan Lochte — each with a résumé that would headline most programs in the country — still hadn’t cracked the top five. That’s the bar the final five set.
Spurrier joined the show for an exclusive pre-recorded interview, airing during the finale — the only in-depth interview of the summer with the Head Ball Coach. He won the Heisman as a player in 1966, then came back as a coach and gave Florida its first national championship in 1996. He’s the only person in college football history to both win the Heisman Trophy and coach a Heisman winner at the same school.
The bracket ran parallel to The 35 all summer — sixteen of the greatest moments in Florida athletics history, seeded and voted on by listeners each week. The road to the Final included a near-unanimous result (the 2007 MBB Title defeated Women’s Tennis Back-to-Back 97% to 3% in the first round), a string of upsets, and a tiebreaker in the Elite 4 that was decided 51% to 49%. The 1996 Football Championship never lost a round and won the Final by 32 percentage points.
The 35 — The Complete List
All 35 athletes revealed across seven episodes, May 14 – July 2, 2026.
All seven episodes and exclusive interviews are available at youtube.com/@WRUF981. The full season archive, bracket results, and complete list of all 35 athletes is at wruf.com/the35.
Category: Feature Sports News, Gator Sports, The 35
